The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-07-16


! guage. When japanese youth leaves
! school at Is ne knows perhaps 1000 or
/ 5000 words. each representing a distinct
idea. Later, if he studies. he NAV know
! 10000 or 10000. If he becomes a pro
| found student he viii master 80. 600 or
| 10000. The written language is simply
an archaic Chinese
The speaker then described the political
status of the mi6ado. the l21st monarch
OF ms name. and the social distinctions of
the empire. The records Of the dynasty
are scarcely valuable, as the priests OF the
days when Buddhism first gained a hear
ing III Japan tempered with their records
IN order TO give their church an antiquity
equal to that claimed for Buddha The
present mlkado Is the first of twenty
rulers who has been known to set his foot
upon the groJ-ad. or upon whose face the
vulgar havei ever been allowed TO look.
In Japan. the farmer stands above the
merchant, the teacher above. the farmer
and the Samri-at once the fighters
poets and artists-highest among the COM
mOners. Below the merchants are the
Iaborers, the coolies ON the street and.
lowest Of all, a class of outlaws.
The japanese are at all times polite
they never have an impolite mood.
American slapping on the back and chow
are you, Bill, y manners are utterly in
comprehensive to them. japanese do
not kiss, shake hands or embrace. They
simply bow, sometimes for five minutes
at time. Their bows are 50 nicely grad
uated as to express a wide range of SEN
tment. They are never petulant, and
they laugh when they see an American
lose his temper. They never swear
they have nothing to swear with. They
haven't even the feminine profanity of
'Oh, N.Y. good gracious or dear
me. Eating upon the street is cOnsid-
cred rudeneSs, even among children
and the very poor. 1t Is not only rude to
contradict another. but rude to have a
different opinion. This has its disadvan-
tages, especially when one is in search of /
information, as no one Will be impOlite
enough to correct his errors. Women
are the servants at their own tables. as
they do not sit with their husbands or !
neighbOrs. 1t is rude TO criticise food or /
service at a hotel or restaurant. There /
every conner is a guest as if at a private /
house.
No matter how pressing ones business /
at house, it is rude TO mention it until /
the very last thing, and then only Incl |
dentally. The same Is true of a letter. /
long, with fifteen feet and nine inches
Of humbug, and three inches of business,
the only thing for which the letter Is
written.
No woman is ever insulted or even an
nOyed on the street. a lady may travel
by night or day, unattended, throughout
Japan quite safe from any affront. Kind
ness TO animals Is universal, and has be
come proverbiaI. Crows are the scaven-
gers upon the city streets. and are never
harmed. Birds build in city houses; wild
fowl alight in the ponds Of the parks. If
a dog goes t. sheep in the busiest street.
the crowd VIII turn aside rather than dis
turb him A dog does not know what IS
meant when a stone Is thrown at it. In |
a busy village street in the inland sea, the
speaker has walked with the wild deer
which has come IN from the forest trott-
ing, at either side of him, waiting for the
rinds of the watermelon which he was
eating. The people study nature with a
true artistic instinct which shows its eff
feet in their wonderful skill in the me
arts. The japanese have neither
corns nor other .'miseries Of the feet,
and have wonderful command Of their
toes for various useful purposes, which
speaks Wei for their shoes.
The partitions IN japanese houses are
simply movable screens, and not only
can these be removed and all the rooms
thrown into one, but most Of the outer
walls may also be taken out and in hot
weather the family inhabits an open. airy
position In speaking Of household mat
ters. the speaker referred TO the charming
diversity of finish and oruamentation.
the exquisite finish. the entire absence Of
stiffness and fOrmality and the bilateral
which mark the arrange
ment Of so many Of our houses.
The speaker said that for a japanese to
come to an American table and see d
man heaving at a. CORY piece Of meat
with knife Is an experience peculiarly
horrible. Knives are unknown upon
japanese tables. The chopsticks are uni
yersal, and they have some decided adj
Tantages over knives and forks-Detroit
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